Child&#39;s building block or brick.



G. TUCK. CHILD'S BUILDING BLOCK 0R BRICK APPL'IICATION FYILED SEPT.28; 1916..

1,237,728. 'PatemedAu .21,1917.

' E l L..- 4 a 10 6 a l 6 6 72 f F4 F .2 f X i 1o 6 r2 6 i 6 L44 65 7 of cardboard, strawboard, or the like as emerrant.

- *GUSTAVE muck, OF- ivrooiarrnnns, LoNnoN, ENGLAND. I I

To all whom it may concern:

land, residing at Moorfiel ds, in the city of London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or in Connection with Childrens Building Blocks or Bricks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to childrens building blocks or bricks andhas for its object to provide improvements therein or in connection therewith.-

The invention has relation more particularly to childrens cubical building blocks or bricks of the kind in which each face bears one portion of a picture, which picture can be built up by correctly assembling the blocks.

According to this invention a cubical building block or brick is formed from two strips of cardboard, strawboard, or the like, each bent into the form of an open ended cube, the one of the open ended cubes being inserted within the other in suchwise that the open ends of the one cube are closed'by faces of the other cube.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, which are. more or less diagrammaticz- Figures 1 and 2 are views showing strips ployed in a building block, or brick in cordance with this invention.

Fig. 3, which is drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2, shows a complete building block or brick in accordance with this invention.

A strip of cardboard, strawboard, or the like, (Figs. 1 and 2) whose length is somewhat greater than four times its width, is scored or bent in four places 2, 3, 4:, 5 in a direction parallel .to its shorter sides, so that it is divided into four square portions 6 and another or fifth portion 7, which forms a tongue. The tongue 7 is, or may be, formed bv reducing the width of the strip, such reduction in width being efiected by removing an equal amount of material from each of the longer edges 8 of the strip. In the strip shown in Fig. 2 the edges 9 of the tongue are tapered. The tongue 7 may be formed by-cutting the fifth portion otherwise. A cut or cuts 10 is or are made in the end of the strip remote from the tongue so that the tongue or portions thereof can be engaged therein. The strip is then folded Be it known that 1, es- TAVE Teena are"; ject ofthe King of Great Britain and Ire" .CHILDSHBUILZDING BLOGK- on 1331031.. -i

\ Specification of Letters Patentfiz- Patented Aug3'21,191-7. i Application filed September 2e,f19 "1 c. fseriaiNo'. 122.729. l l I so asto form, an open ended cubeA (Fig.

and the tongue 7 is engaged i'n th'e cuts "IOre'ferred to so as to secure the two free ends of the strip 1 together. A second open ended cube B (Fig. 3) is formed in a similar manner, but, preferably, of slightly smaller dimensions than those of the firstly mentioned cube. The secondly mentioned cube B is then inserted into one of the two open ends of the first cube A in suchwise that the open ends of the one cube are closed by faces of the other cube. A complete cubical building block is thus formed. The four faces of each cube will have a picture or a portion of a picture printed thereon. Also the tongues 7 will have printed thereon those parts of the picture they would obscure. That portion of the one face of each open ended cube'which is obscured by the tongue will preferably-bear the words Inner or Outer, as the case may be. These words indicate which of the cubes is to be placed inside the other. Since either pair of opposite faces of the second open ended cube B can be used to close the open ends of the first cube A, it will be apparent that each block will bear portions of eight pictures as compared with portions of only siX pictures on an ordinary solid block. If the faces of each strip are printed on both sides, then, by reversing the direction of folding the strip, the pictures on the inner side can be exposed to view and it will be possible to build up an additional eight pictures.

If desired, the portion of a picture which appears on each face of the block may be a complete picture in itself although, at the same time, it forms part of a larger composite picture. Also a composite picture may be formed by a single row of blocks or by two or more rows.

A number of strips may be provided on a single piece of material, each strip being separated from its neighbors by a score or bend, or perhaps, by a printed line. It is then only necessary to cut along the score, bend or line to separate the individual strips.

What I claim is y 1. A hollow block formed of open end cubes inserted one within the other, each cube formed of a single strip adapted to be bent to display either surface thereof, and said strips provided with means at the ends thereof for removably securing each strip in the form of a cube whereby said. block may be formed With either surface of said strips providing the exterior surface of the Walls of the block formed therefrom.

2. A hollow block formed of open end cubes inserted one Within theviother, each cube formed of a single strip adapted to be bent to display either surface J thereof, and each of said stripsprovided with means for removably securing the same in the form said tongues, whereby said'strips when secured in the form of said cubes present a smooth-unbroken exterior surface.

Dated this th day of September, 1916.

' GUSTAVE TUCK.

i qopiea of thi s patent may.;be optainedfer-five cents qgclyby a,dd1;essinglthe qommi ssioner or jl'ateptsjiwa m g qgfp c v 

